Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: Shadows of the Triumvirate
by Goku Skywalker
Summary: Five years have passed. The Jedi Civil War left much destruction in its wake, and now the Jedi are on the verge of extinction. The Destined Jedi have prevailed before, but can they stop an enemy that looms in the darkness, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike? Sequel to Knights of the Old Republic: The Destined Jedi
1. An Empty Galaxy

Prologue – An Empty Galaxy

Deralia hung in space, a brilliant gem in the mid rim of the Galaxy. The world shown a brilliance of plains covered in Kath Hounds and Iriaz grazing along the banks of the rivers that lined out the many continents. The cities outlined the landscapes, with the capital of Orian being the most magnificent. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight for the sunset that befell the planet.

For Sam, being a Jedi Knight and close to his family couldn't come at a better time. The annual celebration of the world's annexation by the Republic was underway, and the Jedi were placed as peace keepers around the palace. In total, 30 Knights were laid around the city, and the King of the world never felt so safe. He brushed his indigo hair, letting the breeze make him shiver as he went inside to get his cloak. He clipped his lightsaber to his belt, walking back towards the main antechamber. He came across the King, bowing before him. "My King, all guards have been posted, the other Knights have begun patrolling the entrances to the city."

The King touched Sam's shoulder, lifting the Jedi Knight up from his bow. "Sam, I'm sure with all 30 of you Jedi, no one will try anything." The King then smiled at Sam as he proceeded to walk out on the veranda to greet his subjects.

The celebrations went as planned. The group of people that gathered in Orian were pleasantly surprised at the display of fireworks and in awe of the Jedi techniques that Sam would demonstrate to wow the audience. Soon, the festivities were about to be concluded when a Centurion Battle Cruiser came out of Hyperspace and hung in orbit. The crowed assumed this was part of the festivities and continued to clap in appreciation for the display of majesty that the King was providing.

The King however, was disturbed by the Cruiser that hung in orbit. The hull had looked worn, battle damaged and had electric sparks flying through the wounds that she had received. He looked towards Sam, who had already gotten a holocall from the Jedi around the entrances of the city. "Sam, tell me you're seeing this."

Sam nodded, "I see it. What in the hell happened to that ship? Why is it here?" His tone became erratic, his eyes bloodshot as he escorted the King inside the palace. "Your majesty, with all due respect, I must take my leave. I must get to my family." Sam then used the Force to increase his speed as he ran out of the palace, desperately trying to make his way to his home. Through the Force, he heard the sound of an ancient dialect speak to him. This was not the ancient Jedi that spoke from Holocrons. This was a voice of hunger. It sounded of power, and yet it was nothing. Sam surveyed his surroundings, taking in all that was happening. The people suddenly dropped dead before him. He saw orange energy being ripped from their very beings. The voice grew louder, more powerful as it spoke. It spoke no words that Sam could understand, instead it spoke something older, more primal.

Sam continued to run, finding his family in their home as he slammed open their door. "Everyone we need to go. Now!" He yelled, gather his brother and parents.

His mother stopped to look over belongings, taking a cubical object from their table stand. "Wait, we can't forget this!"

"Don't worry about it! We need to go now!" Sam yelled back, ushering them outside and moving them towards the landing pad. The death of the people that he had witnessed now transformed as the city of Orian itself began crumbling away. The grass of the plains gave way to dust and dirt. Animals died before him and his family as they continued their journey. "What is this…" was all that escaped his mouth. Sam turned his attention towards the Cruiser in orbit to see a shuttle coming in for a landing. He quickly shoved his parents and brother to the side behind a steel frame that covered them. "Do as I say and don't ask any questions." He turned his attention to the shuttle, watching the loading ramp open with the excess steam being pumped out. Out came a figure, dressed in black who looked to be twice Sam's height. For a face, all he had was a white mask that covered a black face mask. Clipped to his belt was a lightsaber, the design was of a swirled cylinder with no noticeable pommel. Sam felt the Dark Side radiate off of the man in black. He began trembling, fear entering his mind and clouding his judgement. He lunged forward, activating his yellow lightsaber trying to bring down this enormous threat. All he was met with was the orange glow he had seen before from the various citizens of Deralia. The voice came back into his head, and he recognized it as the man in black, speaking directly to him. The words were still of the ancient dialect he had never heard, yet Sam was able to understand perfectly.

"I am the Lord of Hunger. Before me, all life dies. When the Galaxy gives creation… I bring about destruction." The growls and echoes voiced in Sam's head soon drove him insane as the life energy was ripped from his soul. The last thing he saw before dying was his little brother, hiding behind the steel frame as their parents joined his fate.

The figure spoke in his ancient dialect once more, "The prophecy of my chosen demise has now been quashed. The one Jedi Knight who could stop me is dead." The figure began to walk back to his ship, but not before taking a glance at the Jedi Knight's brother. The young man's eyes met the black holes he possessed, and with the sound of his voice, sealed the young man's fate. "You child… are of my own. You are the last survivor of your planet. A gift I shall leave you, as you are now… nothing." He walked up closer to the young man, placing his gloved hand on the boy's head. "For when you experience my power… you will beg for the death that will long hound you." He continued to speak in his ancient dialect.

The young man screamed in pain as the Galaxy was shown before him. All the citizens going about their daily lives in such a coherent mess with no purpose, no meaning. Was this the real vision that he was meant to see? Was he supposed to believe this about the Galaxy he had come to fantasize? As the vision continued, he saw the masked man envelope the mass of people, the Centurion Cruiser passing by over various planets. After the Cruiser passed, the planets became barren, lifeless rocks. Nothing lived on the surfaces of these worlds.

"That is how it shall be. In my wake, all life dies. Feeding my hunger, for the Dark Side gives me all I need." He growled in his ancient tongue, releasing his hold on the young man's forehead. "I will see you in your nightmares… you will see me in the dark corners of your mind. You will never know true peace, for I will always haunt your dreams." He turned to his ship, letting out a vast growl that cleansed Deralia of the last remaining of its inhabitants, the surface became barren and lifeless, like the young man saw in the vision.

The young man grabbed his dark blue hair, gripping it tightly that blood began to cover his fingers. Hearing the ghastly growl that sounded "Geahhh… uhhh….", he sensed a part of his soul coming together with the man who had destroyed his family, who had destroyed his homeworld. Before he collapsed in agony, the words he heard echoed in his mind as the Centurion Cruiser fled the system.

_For I… am Darth Nihilus… the bringer of destruction, the cleanser of life… the Lord of Hunger… and you, Ken Ichijouji, will forever be my slave…_


	2. A Darker Present

**Chapter 1 – A Darker Present**

Ken awoke from his nightmare. Sweat poured from his body as he gripped the soaked sheets that made up his bed. He noticed that neither Matt nor Meiko were in their bunks, but TK and Kari were nestled within the same one. _'You know, you think I would be used to this stuff by now…'_ He thought to himself as he dragged his legs over the bunks edge. The feet made contact with the cold panels that were the floor of the Ebon Hawk. He looked up to the ceiling, the light shining from the panels that made up the beds. Getting up, he quickly threw on his black pants before he grabbed his sand undershirt and tunic. Lacing the tabards over his tunic and then closing his belt, he quickly grabbed his leather wristband and applied it on his left wrist. Though he had fulfilled more challenges than any Jedi would have faced, Ken felt he never earned the rank of Jedi Knight. _'Not since Davis' death…' _He missed his friend dearly, ever since the battle of Alderaan.

He began to walk outside of the port dormitory, smelling the arouma of metal and oil that was present on the ship. He looked over to the cargo hold to find Yolei, Izzy, Mimi, and Cody training in lightsaber combat, feeling the heat of the lightsaber blades fill the room. "I see nothing has changed here… Yolei still wants to get stronger. I wonder if she'll ever be happy with the power she has." Ken commented out loud. His eyes grew wide, feeling his comment had not gone unnoticed.

Yolei turned her head towards the commentator. "Ken, you just sit back and watch the real masters train. Go sit back with your meditations and books." She said, the tone of her voice stinging.

Izzy then deactivated his black blade, not wanting to continue training at the moment. "Yolei… I can't train you if you act like that. You must learn respect and restraint for your tongue." He clipped his weapon to his belt and walked over to Ken. "I apologize for my pupil, Ken. I don't know what's been happening with her recently." He quickly ushered him out of the cargo hold and followed him to the main hold.

"I don't mind the comment, Master Izumi. I just wish she would learn to open up about her feelings, or whatever seems to be on her mind." Ken replied, still looking towards the ceiling of the ship. "She seems to be troubled by something, and yet she won't speak anything about it. Or to anyone. Am I correct on this?" He looked over to Izzy, who stood with a perplexed grin.

"You would be right. I swear, I don't even know most of her past." He paused, reflecting on what Yolei had told him of her past life. "Only that her mother was killed during the Battle of Malachor V." He paused again, waiting for Ken to reply.

Ken stood shocked. He hadn't heard the name before, but it still registered as a familiar place. "I… hadn't heard that name before…"

Izzy patted the young boy on the back. "It's quite alright, let's see where Matt and Meiko are taking us." The two Jedi began their stroll to the cockpit.

Matt sat at his chair; metallic hand plastered against his forehead. His eyes looked glazed towards the charts he was interpreting, not even paying attention to the footsteps that were coming in behind, or his wife's pratting of his shoulder.

"Matt!" Meiko yelled for him to hear. He finally shook out of his trance. "You gave me a little scare there, are you alright hon?" She asked him.

"Define alright."

"Well, being better than what you're being now. You've been like this since we left Malastare."

Matt sighed. "I know… I just can't help but feel something is happening to the Jedi Order. It's been five years since we defeated Darth Malak and the Sith Empire, but I still feel something is happening to us." He turned his head towards her. "You can feel it, can't you? The Order is diminishing, yet nothing has been reported about it. The HoloNet doesn't have anything on it, neither do the texts within the books that Ken keeps stored in his footlocker."

Meiko rubbed his hair. "Honey, you worry too much. Sure the five years hasn't been easy on us, from returning Manaan back over to the Selkath to the people of Dantooine having trouble with their government. But we've come this far, and besides, there are no more Sith left in the Galaxy. We made sure of that." She smiled at him, as he returned it.

Matt then turned his head back to the hallway to see Ken and Izzy enter the cockpit. "Ken, Izzy. What brings you two in here?"

Ken bowed before his Master and friend. "Master, I have come to inquire about our destination."

Matt nodded to his charge. "Ken, you don't have to call me Master anymore. With the way things are, I doubt there is even an Order to have Masters and Padawans." He looked to Izzy, who sighed in confirmation. "You felt it too then?"

Izzy nodded. "Indeed. The Order is dwindling, though by how I do not know. The Force is working in mysterious ways, it seems." He felt his head trail back towards the Galaxy Map panel. "You have any idea what could be causing this disturbance?"

Matt shook his head, veering back towards the window of open space. "Not a one. It seems that wherever we do good work, something darker takes it over. Almost like we are being hounded." He continued to control the ship, selecting a planet from a holographic projector. "How about…" His voice trailed off as the planets began shifting around the projection. "Hey… that's strange. I can't select a planet. Izzy, try pulling up navigation on the panel there. I swear if someone tampered with my ship I will…" He balled his hand into a fist before settling it down.

Izzy moved his fingers through the panels interface, selecting routes and passages only for them to disappear and reappear again. "This is strange. The ship is refusing my access." He slammed the panel with his fist, hoping for brute force to have the answer to his problem.

Meiko turned her head, sensing something calling out to her. "I feel… something… Home is calling me." She started to plot a course.

Matt looked back at his wife. "Um… beg your pardon? Telos is a dead world, Meiko. I know it's home to you, but I don't think the ship itself would be calling us towards that world." He saw his response was in vain, as Meiko entered a trance like state, entering in coordinates that caused the Ebon Hawk to lurch from its slow acceleration in space to a new direction. The engines roared to life and picked up speed as the rest of the crew stumbled into the cockpit to view the situation.

"What in the hell?! I was nearly cut in half!" Yolei made her displeasure known, only to be smacked by Mimi.

"Padawan, watch your tone." Mimi instructed sternly.

Yolei rubbed her head, reeling from the suddenness of the attack. "Ow! Mimi, was there a reason for that?" She turned back to her maternal figure.

Kari snickered at Yolei's apparent attitude. "Yolei, I remember when I had that hot streak going. Just ask how it turned out…" She shuddered, remembering her time as a Sith Apprentice to Darth Malak. She looked forward, centering on how Meiko was acting towards the panels in front of her. "Does anyone care to mention that Meiko is behaving like a zombie?"

Matt began typing in commands to strip Meiko's station of piloting controls. "I've tried everything, from remote shutdowns to injecting DOS commands. Nothing is working." He smashed his fists against the console. "Looks like we're heading to a dead world."

The Ebon Hawk was pulled into Hyperspace with Meiko at the helm. The coordinates were set, and the Destined Jedi were headed to Telos. The hum of the hyperdrive echoed through the corridors of the ship, with the viewport being made brilliant by the spectacle of the void. Cody went to check the navigation charts of the ship, hoping there was some miracle that they could make a course correction to avoid Telos. What he found, was something entirely different. "Hey guys… We're not heading to Telos." He turned his head towards Matt. His face was filled with concern.

"What do you mean 'We're not heading to Telos.' Where else could we be going?" He looked up the astrogation charts, plotting a course from their last known position at the Y'Toub System. "This is getting too creepy for me. I need a vacation." He chuckled, hoping the others would laugh at his comment.

Ken felt his brain pound against his skull. The pain he had felt on Manaan was beginning to return. _'No… not now…' _He gripped his hair, closing his eyes tightly while gritting his teeth. He stammered backward and crashed into Yolei before stopping against a panel.

Yolei put her arms around his shoulders. "Ken, what's wrong? Do we need to take you to the medbay?"

Ken opened his eyes wide, knowing full well where they were going. "Katarr…" Was all that escaped his mouth.

The others looked towards the boy, then towards each other with concern written on their faces. "Katarr… why does that name sound familiar?" Izzy stroked his chin, pondering the name. He had heard it before in studies, but couldn't remember what it meant. "Could it be a code of something?" He asked the group.

Meiko snapped out of trance, blinking her eyes rapidly to restore blood flow. "What just happened?!" She asked hurriedly. She placed her hands over her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the void. "Last thing I remember was we were in the Y'Toub System and then we're here in Hyperspace. Where are we going?" She looked towards Matt, hoping he had the answers.

Matt eyed his wife suspiciously. "You don't remember what you did?" The shake of her head confirmed it. "Well, you went on saying 'Home' and how we had to go to Telos. I then commented that there was no reason since it was a dead world." He saw Meiko's eyes begin to water while her expression became sorrowful. It took Matt a while before he realized his mistake. "Oh dear… Meiko I'm sorry. I know Telos means a lot to you and I'm sorry to call it tha" He was cutoff when Meiko stood up and left the cockpit in a huff. "Meiko wait!" He began to get of the chair when the communications panel sounded off. "Oh great… what pain in my ass is calling me now?" He sarcastically remarked as he resettled. He flipped switches on the panel to reveal the hologram of Jedi Master and Historian Atris.

"That would be me, 'Master' Ishida." The hologram replied.

"Ah Atris… still as icy as ever. And to what do I owe the pleasure of a communication with the great Jedi Historian?"

"There is a Jedi Conclave being held on Katarr. You are to travel to that world and redevous with Masters Zhar and Vandar. The rest of the Council will be there promptly." She looked around to the group. "I see all of you are keeping well, especially you Izzy." She eyed him curiously.

Izzy bowed his head in respect for his former Master. "Master Atris." He then turned away to view the navigation chart.

Atris then returned her attention back to Matt. "I shall see you on Katarr. Until then, enjoy what time you have left." With that, the hologram disappeared and the group were left alone.

Mimi thought to herself, folding her arms together as if waiting for a massive surprise. "What did she mean by "Enjoy what time you have left?" She asked the group.

Izzy turned his head. "I don't know. I'm still mad that I couldn't recognize the name of this planet from just the word." He looked at Ken, the boy still clenching his head. "Ken, my boy… are you feeling alright?"

Ken looked at the Jedi Master before him. "Master Izumi, Master Ishida… forgive me." Was all that came out of his mouth.

TK heard the warning alarms of the ship nearing the end of its trek. "Whatever is happening with him, I'm sure we can find answers when we get to the surface." He walked over to his brother's chair. "Go take care of your wife, I can handle things up here." Matt gave him a nod and whisked himself away from his chair towards the crew quarters. TK then strapped himself in and refamiliarized himself with the controls. "Hold on, taking us out of Hyperspace now." He knelt his head up as the Hawk was taken out of the void back into real space. The planet Katarr came into view, looking similar to Dantooine and Alderaan. "Great… another planet that's probably full of farmland."

Kari snorted at his comment. "Yes… more farmland to graze in…" She dragged out the reply to callback to their trial on Korriban. "We'll be fine. Come on Cody, Yolei, let's get our gear ready for this conclave." She dragged the two Jedi out of the cockpit, leaving Ken, TK, Mimi, and Izzy behind.

TK looked back to the planet. "Something feels… wrong here. I sense a disturbance in the Force…"

Ken looked up, a smile growing wide on his face. "He's here…" A giggle escaping his grin.

Izzy looked at Mimi, growing scared. He grabbed Ken's shoulders and tried to calm him down. "Ken, snap out of it. You're a Jedi, you shouldn't act like this!" Ken would not stop his panicked laughter, a shriek escaping as Mimi took his side and placed her arms around Ken.

"Ken, it's alright. We're here for you." She placed her hand, rubbing his hair as she hugged him closely. "Your family is here."

Ken just kept laughing as Katarr stayed in view.

* * *

Matt walked into the port dormitory after Meiko, seeing her sitting on their bunk with her knees touching her chest. "What?" She asked. Matt sighed and sat down with her.

"Look, I'm not going to mince words. I know what I said is wrong, and I have no excuse." He looked at his wife, putting his arm around her and rubbing her shoulder. "I know Telos means a lot to you. I just don't see why we need to go there. The only thing there is Citadel Station, or so I believe." He stopped, awaiting Meiko's input.

She looked at him, her eyes showing anger and frustration. "You have a homeworld. You have a place you can call home. Coruscant if I recall." She looked up towards her husband to see his nod. "I don't have that anymore. The Sith took everything from me when I was a child. Endor even more so…" She started to cry again, feeling the effects of memories returning to the surface of her mind.

Matt continued to rub her shoulder. Seeing his wife like this was something he had not wanted to accomplish. "Honey… I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything but I truly am." He sighed himself, looking away from Meiko. He always had Coruscant to fall back on, with TK, Tai, and Sora. _'Tai and Sora… If only you guys were here' _He resumed his gaze on Meiko, watching her meet his eyes.

"I felt the Force call us to my homeworld. Something is there and we need to go." She slapped her hands on her knees, feeling something move around her stomach. "Oh… ow…" She rubbed her stomach, noting the changes compared to her usual state.

Matt's face grew pale. What did that shot of pain mean from his wife? He decided not to think about it, preferring to remain in the present on the task at hand. "Meiko, do you think this could have a connection to the state of the Galaxy? With the current status of the Jedi Order?"

She kept rubbing her stomach while processing the information given to her. "It's possible. The Force is constantly shifting, and its will can be difficult to ascertain. Where are we headed again?"

"Katarr, surprised you managed to get the coordinates to that world without them being in the navicomputer." He chuckled at his comment.

Meiko grew concerned. She pondered what Matt had said and the images that flashed through her mind during her trance. "Matt… I didn't type in coordinates for Katarr… I knew I typed in the coordinates for Telos." She got up, still rubbing her stomach. "Let's get back to the cockpit. Something is going on." She moved quickly out of Matt's way towards the rest of the group.

Matt was left perplexed. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?" He could hear her voice through the bond they shared.

_Not even close, you nerf herder._

He chuckled to himself, getting up from the bunk. Grabbing his cloak, he prepared himself to meet the conclave of Jedi Masters on the world. He walked through the main hold, hearing the cackle of his Padawan echo through the corridor. _'What in the… what's going on with Ken?' _He broke into a run and arrived to see the rest of the group in the cockpit. "What's going on here? How long has Ken being giving this laugh?"

TK stood up from the pilots chair, turning to face his brother. "He's been doing this since we arrived at Katarr. He keeps saying 'He's Here' and we have no idea what's going on." He moved out of the way to have Matt move back towards the pilot's chair.

"Ken, this is Matt, snap out of it. Now!" The words Matt spoke must have registered in Ken's mind as the boy snapped out of his insane state. "Now, what is going on with you? Answer me." He looked back to his Apprentice.

Ken looked up to his Master. "I am so sorry Master… I don't know what came over me. Something just entered my mind, almost as if it belonged there." He rubbed his temples, trying his best to shake out the effects of the insanity. "We arrived at Katarr?" He asked quizzically. Matt nodded. Ken then looked out of the viewport. The surface of the world looked peaceful enough, the Jedi shuttles arriving out of Hyperspace to join the conclave. "It looks pretty… I hope we can sta-…" He was cut off as he peered his vision over to the other side of the world. A ship exited Hyperspace, looking battered and broken in appearance. The hull had fractured marks and electricity sparking through the empty ports. The remains of the vessel matched that of a Centurion Battle Cruiser from the Mandalorian Wars. This one apparently had been in a fight that had nearly cost it its life. Ken started to quiver in fear, feeling the familiar effect from his childhood on Deralia. "No… No no no…" His eyes grew wide in horror, realizing what was happening.

Yolei looked at Ken as she peered out the viewport. "Ken, what's going on? What is that ship?" She stuck her boot next to his leg to try and get a better view before he shoved her off. "Hey! What was that for?!"

Ken quickly moved his fingers around the ships systems. "Shut everything down, engines, life support, everything! We can't let him know we're here!" He moved back and forth through the cockpit before traveling to the security control center and then to the main hold. The Ebon Hawk began to float lifelessly through the space that made up Katarr as the group looked on to see what would happen. Then they all clamped their hands against their ears as a powerful shriek was heard throughout the ship. The voice of the shriek sounded of pure terror, making everyone wince in pain as their eyes began to tear.

_Geeaaaguhhhhh_

Matt looked up to see Katarr, the beautiful gem that decorated this line of space become a desert wasteland. The grasslands, oceans, and mountains all gave way as an orange glow came from the Cruiser in orbit, traveling down to the planet below.

Meiko watched in horror over what was happening. "I feel… cold. Like the Force is getting ripped away from me. Is everyone else feeling the same way?" She looked around to see everyone nod in agreement.

Kari grabbed the top of the co-pilots chair, struggling to keep herself up. "Guys… I don't feel good. I think I'm gonna be sick." She fought the urge to throw up, turning around to rest her head against the panel. She kicked her boot against the floor, trying to fight the feeling of passing out.

Ken looked out, watching the Force and life be drained from Katarr and realizing that all of the people were dying. The Jedi, the Miralukans, and the Force itself in the sector of the Galaxy. "And in his wake, all life dies." He quoted from years ago.

This drew the attention of Izzy and Yolei. "What do you mean, all life dies?" Izzy asked.

"Whose he? What is happening?!" Yolei yelled, trying to make her questions overpower her Masters. "Why is the Force losing its connection here?" She started shaking Ken, hoping to get answers to her questions. Ken started to stammer his answers, only for Yolei to shake him to far and knock him out. "Oh crap… sorry Ken." She caught him and set him down gently while the rest of the group viewed the destruction happening before them.

Izzy eyed the orange glow coming form the cruiser as it dissipated. "If memory serves… and it usually does, that technique is Force Drain. Whoever is onboard that cruiser, he's proficient enough that its making this whole sector blind to the Force. That's probably why our connection feels different." He then recognized what had taken place. "It's become a wound in the Force…"

The orange glow vanished from view, and Katarr was left a barren wasteland. Sand covered what remained of the green landscapes and oceans that once bewitched the viewer. The Cruiser then disappeared into Hyperspace, leaving the Ebon Hawk alone in the void of space. Matt and Meiko looked at each other before looking back at the dead world. "Start up the ship. We're heading down there. We need to find the Jedi, or what remains of the Council down there."

Meiko and the others obliged their leaders order. "Aye aye, sir. We'll be down there in less time than it takes to grill a Korbanth steak." Cody said, chuckling as he was joined with Mimi, Izzy and Yolei. Kari and TK remained on the bridge with Kari picking up Ken, trying to jostle him awake.

Ken woke up to see the ship moving downward, and his instant reaction was fear. He moved his eyes to look at Matt, then Meiko both operating the Ebon Hawk to land on the remains of Katarr. "Why?! Why are we landing on the world?" He asked frantically. He got up from his position and placed his hands on both chairs in the cockpit. "Where's the Cruiser?"

"Gone. Left in Hyperspace a minute ago." Matt said, not tearing his gaze to the wasteland below. "I think it's time you owe us some answers." He brought the Ebon hawk into the atmosphere, making sure to be careful as the change in pressure affected the systems on board. Panels flashed and alarms sounded off with Meiko flipping switches as the ship lurched to the rocky ground. "And here we are." Matt got up from his chair and adjusted his tunic before turning to face his Padawan. "Now… time for answers."

Ken sighed before looking up at Matt. "Alright Master, I'll tell you what I know." They began to walk towards the loading ramp, passing through the garage. "But just know that what I tell you will change everything we know."

Matt shook his head. "You need to push that thought from your mind. Right now we need information on what happened, and it seems you are connected with this… thing that has taken place here."

Ken, despite all that had just taken place, felt the urge to chuckle. "You have no idea…"


	3. When Passions Dictate Actions

**Chapter 2 – When Passions Dictate Actions**

Yolei shuffled around the garage, looking down at the loading ramp. She noticed the dirt and sand that remained of Katarr start to pile up around the edge. She began to contemplate closing the ramp, if only to keep the ship that was her home clean. But deep inside her was the desire to explore the world that was ravaged. She slammed her first against the panel, letting her frustrations out against the cold metal of the ship. _'Why should that upstart get to look around this world and not me? It's not like I'm asking for too much!' _Her thoughts began to trouble her. _'Why does Cody get to go?! Meiko I understand by why Cody?! If there is one thing I know, it's desolate wastelands…'_ The anger she felt towards being left out festered from her childhood of being abandoned on Malachor V by her mother. But per usual of Yolei, no one, not even the Jedi Council, knew the full story. Her blood was aching for a fight, to test her abilities against a fully trained Sith Lord. She continued her pacing, the lower part of her cloak draping behind her in a sinister fashion. This drew the attention of Kari, who shuffled in from the crew quarters.

"Could you please keep it down the fist pumping and the brooding? I'm trying to concentrate, Yolei." Kari said, sounding out of breath.

Yolei noticed that Kari had her lightsaber hilt clutched in her hand, as if she was training by herself in the crew quarters. "What's with the lightsaber hilt? You practicing something?" She asked curiously. Anything would be better than standing around the ship doing nothing.

Kari obliged her request. "Well, if you want to see, come with me to my bunk. But you can't tell anyone else. This is between us." She said as she stuck out her hand for Yolei to follow. The girls made their way through the corridor before coming to the lighted dormitory. Kari fiddled with her bag as she got out the Holocron that her brother, Tai Kamiya, had gifted to her five years ago on her completion of the Jedi Trials. "Did Izzy ever show you one of these?" She asked Yolei, holding the cubical object in front of Yolei.

"No, but I have heard of them. Jedi Holocron if I'm not mistaken." Yolei said dryly. "What is it that makes this one special?"

Kari knelt down, placing the Holocron in front of her. "Well, just watch." She meditated with the Light Side of the Force, letting it fill the room with energy before the Holocron. The cube's end pieces were removed and began floating before being placed back on the main body, albeit in a different fashion. The hologram of Tai Kamiya rose in full as his body grew to the size he normally was in life. "Master, I am here for a continued lesson." She looked up at the hologram's face.

Tai's hologram nodded and then turned around to face Yolei. "Ah Yolei, it has been a while. How have you been?" He smiled towards her.

Yolei's eyes grew wide. "Um… first Katarr get's desolated and now Tai comes back from the 'dead'. What's next? Matt and Meiko have a kid?!" She waved her hands around franctically as Kari got up from her position to calm her down.

Tai laughed at the young Jedi. "I still am dead. Though technically I am One with the Force." He stroked his chin while Kari stopped Yolei from her frantic shaking. "To answer your question at how I am able to communicate this way, I put apart of my consciousness into making this Holocron. Therefore I am able to still teach. Now for questions, I am only able to assume what you shall say." He placed his hands around his belt.

Yolei thought of questions to ask Tai, hoping that he could shed some light on what had just taken place. "Well, Katarr came to ruin by an orange glow. It appeared to drain all of the life from the world, and it partially affected our connection to the Force." She stopped herself from rambling. "Have you heard of anything like this?"

Tai shook his head, for it seemed this was beyond what the Holocron could offer. "I do not. If Sora had made a Holocron, or even a Noeticon, we could have combined our knowledge banks to find something, but I don't recall her every making something like that." He sighed, the holographic hand pinching his sinus'. "I'm afraid I can't help you in this instance. When the time is right, Sora and I will appear before you all though. Of that I am certain."

Yolei sighed. That was not the answer she was hoping for. "Well, guess I can't do anything else but wait for Matt, Ken, Cody, and Meiko to come back. I swear those four are just like their own family compared to the rest of us." She let out a huff of frustration before looking back and Tai and Kari. "Now, is there anything you can teach me, Master Kamiya?" She asked, her face glowing brilliantly with the thought of learning from the Apprentice of Ulic Qel-Droma.

Tai shook his head. "This Holocron is meant for Kari, Yolei. Therefore my avatar can't teach you anything." He lowered his head, awaiting for the backlash he would receive. When nothing came, he looked at the girl, who started to get angry. "I'm sorry Yolei. This was Kari's gift when she became a Jedi Knight. The only thing I can give to the rest of the group would be just regular information or a means of consciousness."

Kari stepped forward to take over from her brother's avatar. "Yolei, right now I would like some time with my brother. Maybe you should go train with Izzy or Mimi." She then started to push the young girl out of the dormitory.

Yolei started to protest the shove, hoping to still talk to her friend. "Kari, wait! I just want to-" She was cut off as Kari completed the shove and closing the door. Yolei turned around tried to knock on the door, wanting to see what Kari would learn. When nothing came of it, she cried out in frustration before resting her head on the door. _'Why does no one want to be with me? What is going on… is five years too long to be with the same people?' _She thought to herself. She then thought she heard something from the door, Kari talking to Tai over a fighting style.

_You'll be the next master of the style of Ulic Qel-Droma_

_Yes Master_

Yolei turned her ear more towards the door. "What the? How could the Avatar know…." She pressed her ear against the door, using the Force to amplify the sounds she heard. A lightsaber could be heard swinging from the other side. It seemed Kari was also using the Force to increase her speed and resiliency for training against her brother's avatar. "Ah… so that's how she's going to learn it." She smiled at the thought of her friend getting stronger. _'We never really had any interaction before, but soon, I will make us come together.' _She chuckled at the thought of Kari teaching her the JarKai Var style. Only for it to get dashed with the next comment she heard.

_Only two masters of the JarKai Var can exist. A Master and an Apprentice. One to teach and one to learn. I shall tell you this now, the final technique…. _

Yolei walked away, not wanting to hear anymore. Kari would not teach her, and she would not learn. She whipped the front of her bangs behind her eyes as she came into the cargo hold. Seeing Mimi meditating filled her with some sense of happiness. If it couldn't be her current master, it would be the mother she never had. "Mom? Can I ask something?" She asked

Mimi enjoyed it when Yolei had called her 'mom' or 'mother'. She had always wanted to be a maternal figure to Yolei, feeling she was the daughter she wanted. "Of course, Yolei. What is it?" She rose from her meditative state and approached the young Jedi.

Yolei looked at Mimi, activating her green lightsaber. "Can we practice something different? Where we try attacks that are swift but powerful?" She lowered her stance to a Makashi stance, mimicking the Sentinel of the Jedi Order, Sora Takenouchi.

"Well, we shall see." Mimi activated her pink blade and the two combatants crossed swords, sizzling down towards the hilt before stepping back. Mimi pressed her offensive by jumping back and forth crossing blades when necessary and using her fists and feet in other situations. At one point, Yolei had come too close towards Mimi that she kicked her pseudo daughter out of the way before launching a Force Wave on the ground. Yolei had anticipated the wave, however, and jumped up in the air before launching a power attack against Mimi. The block was well timed as pink and green energy glowed around the cargo hold. Yolei took advantage of the pause to send her opponent flying with a punch in the chest.

The frustration she had felt for the past hours finally came at a boiling point. Yolei raced towards Mimi, attacking her adoptive mother with strikes laced with power and venom. At first, the attacks were swift and Mimi was easily able to block them. "You'll have to try harder than that, Yolei. Sora trained me in the ways of Makashi."

Yolei roared in anger as her strikes became more brutish and heavy. Eventually Mimi felt her knee hit the ground as Yolei gained the upper edge of their combat. "I will become stronger!" Yolei yelled, her words echoing around the ship. The Force started to work through her, each attack becoming more powerful as the green energy overpowered the pink.

Mimi saw what was happening to her daughter, the anger was overtaking her and consuming. She pried one hand away from the hilt of her lightsaber and used the Force to grab a pipe that was lying to the side. When the pipe reached her, she attacked Yolei's feet to break the vicious cycle of power attacks before pushing back against the plasteel cylinders. Yolei crashed with a thud as her blade was deactivated. Mimi used the Force to retrieve her daughters weapon before helping her up. "You want to tell me what that was?" She asked as she got Yolei to her feet.

Yolei brushed her tabards of the dust and felt her head in confirmation that nothing was out of place. "I don't know, Mom." She thought to herself, _'Should I tell her the truth?' _The secret of her past life was only known to her, would she allow herself to release it to the open? She figured this one time wouldn't hurt, especially if it was to the woman who raised her for the past five years. "Mom, I never told you or Dad where I came from, did I?"

Mimi sat down on a cylinder, motioning for Yolei to follow her lead. "No, you never really have talked about your past much the entire time we've been together." She placed an arm around Yolei, bringing her close to her side. "But I would like to hear the story. If you don't mind that is." She looked at Yolei, who smiled back at her.

"Well okay, if you're serious." She took a deep breath, waiting for the exhale before telling her tale. "I am from the planet of Taris." She stopped, noting Mimi's look as the name was all to familiar. "I know what happened Mom, and I'm not blaming you for it's destruction. I know Malak was looking for you all there, but it still wasn't your fault." She then continued her story, looking outwards to the empty cargo hold as if expecting Izzy or TK to walk right in. "My father was an Echani general, Yusanis if you know the name."

Mimi nodded. "I know Yusanis, one of the greats of the Mandalorian Wars. But… that doesn't explain your hair. If you're Echani, what about your hair and facial features? You look like you come from the core worlds instead of the Echani cultures."

Yolei continued. "That would be because of my real mother. She was a Jedi Knight, named Arren Kae. Her and my father had a child, which turned out to be me." She paused, wiping the stray tear away from her eye. "Jedi are not supposed to have romantic attachments, and as you know if they discovered anything of the sort, it would mean exile or relocation. My mother however… joined the Mandalorian Wars to be with my father, and they took me along for the ride…. I was only 8 at the time, by my father thought it would be a great experience for me to fight at the final battle." She stopped, burying her face in Mimi's chest, tears streaming out. "How can anyone make an 8 year old fight in a war?!"

Mimi comforted her daughter, soothing her back and forth. "I don't know… I never knew there were any kids at the final battle. I only thought the Mandalorians were foolish enough to do that."

Yolei picked her head up and quickly moved her tale along. "Well, as happens, my father escaped from the final battle of the war. Without me. I was left behind on board a Mandalorian cruiser that had managed to flee from the system. I became their protégé, or a foundling. I never adopted their customs, though. Only their language has been engrained in my skull."

"What about your mother?"

"As I said on Tatooine, she was slain at the final battle. Died over the world of Malachor V as it was brought to its knees." She looked down before continuing. "I escaped the Mando's hold over me and fled to Alderaan. That was right around the time that you and Dad started to train me as I was accepted into the Jedi Order." She turned to face Mimi and hugged her tightly. "Thank you mom, for everything."

Mimi returned the hug, finally realizing why Yolei had acted the way she did. "I see… The frustration you feel is towards being abandoned. So to cover it up, you wish to be strong. You never want to feel that way again." She stroked her hair before standing up. "Thank you for telling me, Yolei. Only you realize I have to tell your father."

Yolei looked up at her mother with fear. "No! Please don't!" She tugged on Mim's pink tunic, stretching the coffee made fabric. "I don't want him to think less of me." She kept tugging on the tunic as Mimi took her hand away from it.

"I hardly believe he will think less of you, Yolei. He loves you with all of his heart, as do I." Mimi pulled Yolei from her spot on the plasteel cylinder. "The only thing I need you to see is what happens when passion dictates your actions. You saw what happened during our sparring session. You need to let go of these fears, for if you don't, the Dark Side will take it's hold on you. Just like it did with Sora…" The mention of her former master's fall caused her to tear up a bit. No matter how one trained, or how one acted, the lure of the Dark Side was always vulnerable, and the fact that it was so alluring at the same time was indeed a scary thing.

Yolei sighed in defeat. "Alright Mom… I concede." She looked as Mimi started to walk out of the cargo hold. "You go on, I'll clean these cylinders up and join you shortly."

Mimi smiled at her daughter. "Okay, just don't be too long."

"Don't worry, I won't." Yolei returned the smile as Mimi closed the door behind her. _'I will get stronger, I will become the best. I will protect my mother and father.'_

The intercom of the Hawk came on as TK relayed a message to the crew. "Uh, guys… we're not alone out here! Get up the cockpit now!"

* * *

Ken finished relaying the tale of the Dark Lord of the Sith who destroyed Deralia. He looked as Matt and Meiko knelt down to see the pieces of clothing strewn about the landscape. Nothing else remained of the planet itself. Buildings, shops, homes, all had been destroyed by the nihilistic Sith Lord. "So… we're dealing with a new Sith Lord who can drain the Force and life of anyone in his midst." Matt said as he looked around the desert. "Why can't it ever be easy?" He asked rehetorically.

Meiko put her hands around Cody's shoulders. The boy was beyond the need of a mother, but it made him feel better all the same. "Because we both know that would not be fun for you. You always enjoy a challenge my dear." She then stepped forward, noting the scene that was before her. "Here, look!" She pointed to the remains of what looked to be the Jedi Council. "All these Jedi… drained of life. This is a fate worse than death. Can you feel it?" She asked the three behind her.

Cody nodded, "They can't even become One with the Force. They will forever be entombed on this world, just as all of the Miralukans." He looked around, kicking sand out of his way. The horrible realization was that this wasn't accomplished with machines or weapons. This was done with the Force, and its power was indeed great

Matt looked over the landscape, noting that not even dunes were being produced by the sand that was generated. "This isn't of the Sith, or the Jedi… this is pure, insatiable hunger. Whatever this threat is, it's on a whole other level." He reached out with the Force and his feelings, probing the masses of what remained. "This, this must be what has befallen the Jedi… We may be the only ones left."

Meiko felt the communicator in her belt go off. "Go for Meiko, TK." She replied as he relayed his message.

"So… how is it exploring such a barren wasteland?"

"This isn't the time for jokes, TK. We'll be on our way back soon."

"Yeah… you may want to hurry that up." TK's voice became frantic.

"Why's that?" Meiko ushered for the three to follow her back to the ship. "He's not coming back here is he?"

"No he isn't, but something is. The ID signature is that of the Harbinger, but it's not answering my hails. Whenever I do get something it's not from a Republic Officer. Probe the ship, see if you can gather something."

Meiko put the communicator away in her pouch and began to probe the minds aboard the Harbinger in orbit. When she had been expecting Republic troopers, she found something filled with hate, anger and lust. Pain was what she felt, along with a sheer presence soaked in the Dark Side. Whatever was onboard wasn't alone either. "Oh dear… we need to move now! Come on you three!" She ran as fast as she could over the sands, her boots giving way to the shaky ground beneath her.

Cody followed her quickly, pushing Ken along as he could. "I know I shouldn't say much, but I think I recognize this presence!" He panted quickly as he got on board the ship, pushing Matt's Padawan in with him. "I know this person! He was on Dantooine many years ago!"

Matt joined the loading ramp as it closed behind him. "Whatever it is, we need to move. Meiko, co-pilots chair now! Cody, get on the guns. TK, join him in the lower deck!" He sat in the pilots chair, firing up the engines. He turned around to see no one was following his orders. "Did I stutter?! Move people! Time's a factor!" He yelled as the engines roared to life. Kari and Yolei strapped themselves in as Izzy took place behind Matt to chart astrogation. Mimi sat to meditate, using her power of Battle Meditation to increase their will to fight and win. "Come on you stupid peace of junk!" Matt screamed as the Ebon Hawk lifted above the atmosphere and found its way into space.

The Harbinger, a Hammerhead Class Cruiser, started to move towards the Ebon Hawk. Physically, it eclipsed the small freighter in size and its armament was more than enough to deal with the ship. Speed, however, was not where it outshined the Hawk. The turbolasers at the front of the vessel open fired on the small freighter as it weaved in and out of the firing lines. The Ebon Hawk began to fire back, its own turbolaser batteries trying to penetrate its shields. However, the small arms could not compensate for the armor that the Hammerhead was equipped with. One of the Harbinger's lasers hit the Ebon Hawk on the port side closest to stern. The resulting shock drained the shields and caused the straps in the cockpit to give out. "Damnit! I'm closing access to the garage!" Meiko yelled as she punched in more commands. "I don't know how much more of this the ship can take."

Matt looked up, noting that the Ebon Hawk was starting to lose power. "I'm gonna put us into Hyperspace. Close access to the garage and port dormitory." He ordered as his wife complied. Matt entered in the coordinates for the Peragus system, being the closest system towards Katarr and launched the ship. Before the ship could enter Hyperspace, the Harbinger had scored one more hit against the freighter, and the port side lost hull and opened into space. The Hawk entered Hyperspace as the crew was shaken out of their seats. TK and Cody fell from their respective gun mounts and were knocked out cold.

Ken looked up, fighting the urge to fall unconscious as the ship continued through the Hyperlane. Everyone else was out cold, and soon he would be as well. Before he could let it happen, he pulled the ship out the void into real space, commenting on how bright the sun looked. _'So pretty… uh…' _He fell unconscious as the Ebon Hawk, and all her crew on board, drifted aimlessly into the Peragus Asteroid Field, unaware if they were free, or still being hounded by the dark force hunting them.


	4. Is there anybody out there?

**Chapter 3 – Is there anybody out there….**

How long he had been out could have been anyone's guess. What vision he was able to get looked like an electrical field, with the outside looking dull, plain, and cramped. Cody pulled himself up and reached forward to try and catch himself from slipping. When he did so, he was met with a painful electrical shock. "Ow!" He pulled his hand back, resting against the back part of where he was. He adjusted his eyes again, noting how the area looked like a small prison. There were other cells around him, each with the same design. But they were empty. Empty and hollow as Katarr had been previously. He looked around again, noticing a computer panel in the distance. Unfortunately for the young Knight, he couldn't reach it. He felt his surroundings, the cramped area of his cell and the electrical field that kept him enclosed.

'_Force Cage' _He thought. The only thing that could help him would be to get the attention of one of the workers in the facility he was in. The only question that was in his mind, though, _'Where is here….' _He reached out with the Force, trying to feel the minds of the facility, the workers going about their lives. Only there were no workers. At least, none amongst the living that he could see. The small oscillations of energy that surrounded him were nothing but corpses. Beyond that, he couldn't see anything, not even his friends.

"Well… looks like I'm stuck here." He checked his belt to see if anything had been taken, to find that his lightsaber was not where it should be. Now he began to worry. What had happened since their fight with the Harbinger, and where were they now? Where were his friends? Were they okay, or did they get pulled into space? Most importantly, how did he survive, and how did he get to where he was now? He sat down and meditated, hoping to find some peace in the Force. The presence he felt from Katarr, that being on the Harbinger. It was familiar to him; he knew it from long ago.

'_On Dantooine… my homeworld. Where my father perished…' _He kept probing what he sensed, hoping it would lead to answers on who it was. At most, all he could guess was it was that it was someone familiar who had done his family wrong. Before Joe Kido had taken him as his Padawan. To Cody, that seemed so long ago, how quickly time had flown by during his travels with Matt, Meiko, and the rest of his friends. The adventure they had shared previously, while it had been exhilarating, it had caused him to question a great deal on the Jedi. Were they always right? Always perfect? No, he knew the last part for a fact. Sora and Kari both had fallen to the manipulations of the Sith, but it was in no small part due to the machinations of the Jedi as well. He pulled himself up from his mediation, adjusting his robe to allow for warmth. He hadn't realized how much time had passed when he heard an alarm sound off with the following announcement.

_Emergency Lockdown is in effect. Turbolifts have been sealed to contain the explosion._

This only added to his fears as he gripped his robe tightly. Cody opened himself up to the Force one more time before giving up. He found one signature that was familiar to him, hoping it was someone from the group. _'Yolei!' _His fears became elevated slightly, hoping that she would be coming to his rescue. He rested his head back against the one part of the cage that was not electrified. Now he would play the waiting game, placing all his hopes in Yolei.

* * *

Yolei floated in a Kolto tank. Her form had been unconscious for how long, no one knew. She still sensed what was going on around her, but only from a small distance. She could tell she shared the medical bay with four other people. Were they dead? She couldn't tell. The only thing she could tell was that it was impossible to wake up. Her connection to the Force had begun to shake and quiver. Katarr had a deeper impact that she originally thought, and she couldn't call on her powers to save her or her friends during the attack on the Ebon Hawk. All she could do was float in the vat that she was trapped in. She wondered how long she had been in the tank, or why she was even there to begin with. Were her injuries that bad? What about the others? She thought of Mimi and Izzy, the two parents she loved dearly. They couldn't leave her alone, not in the Galaxy where the Jedi were fading from importance. She then thought of Ken. The poor boy who had been through so much as a child. It reminded her of her own childhood.

'_Maybe we have more in common than I originally thought' _The idea made her happy. Happier than she had been in a long time. She hoped that if she were to ever awaken and he would be alive, they could start over. Become friends even. The Jedi help each other in tough times, and she was no different.

She felt something move in the Force. A connection she had not experienced before. She tried her best to feel it out, to understand what it was. The only thing she could feel was someone stirring from a deep slumber. If she could get their attention, she could get out of the Kolto tank and find her friends. Only she couldn't reach out again. Why was her connection dwindling? Could it be the abandonment she feared most?

'_No… first my real mother and father, then my friends… now the Force.' _She continued to float in the tank, bobbing back and forth. The extent of her injuries finally reached her when a sharp jolt of pain invaded her left side. She thought the Kolto would take its time in healing the injury, only for it dissipate just moments later. She hadn't felt herself use the Force to try and heal the wound, meaning someone from the outside had used the Force to feel her presence out and heal the injury. She wondered who it would be until she heard one word in her mind that caused her body to feel once again.

_Awaken_

* * *

Meiko woke up in what appeared to be a maintenance bay. Disabled and broken droids littered the area around her. She picked herself up, adjusting her robe and tunic before checking her pouches. The lightsaber she had carried since her crash on Kashyyyk was still with her. The only question that entered her mind, _'Okay… why am I here? Where is everyone?' _She felt a kick in her stomach that caused her to step backward and onto a bench. She placed her hand over her belly again, hoping to feel another one.

"You're getting to be a good talker. What would you like to do today?" She spoke aloud to no one except the child she was carrying. It had been over 6 months since Meiko found she had been pregnant. She had been wanting to surprise Matt with the last trimester and thought that she had doomed it when she felt the kick earlier on the Hawk. Matt didn't seem to notice, however, so she paid no heed. She stopped rubbing her belly, looking over all the disabled droids that littered the area.

"I wonder what happened here. How did I even get here?" She got up but stayed still. Feeling the Force around her, she tried to open up and find her friends. Something was off, she wasn't able to feel anyone at all. No personnel in the facility, no friends of hers to be found. She wondered how long she had been out, or where her ship was. Where was Matt? Or Cody? Izzy and Mimi weren't present either. Kari and TK no where to be found. She sent her presence out through the Force, hoping someone would be able to feel it. She listened to it, the sound of her signature radiating off the cold metal that made up the walls, the rocky ceiling that was part of the asteroid.

'_Asteroid!' _She was on Peragus, or at least one of the asteroids in the system. If her theory was correct, the system had one planet known as Peragus II, which now sits with an exposed core to the rest of the Galaxy. That was the bright light she saw before losing consciousness. But if she was here, then that meant everyone else was inside this facility as well. She wanted to get up to find them, to seek them out desperately. At the same time, she felt as though the she was needed to stay put. Something told her that this place was full of danger, unknown threats that bequeathed the idea of a Jedi, a Grey Jedi at that running around causing amok. Her stomach kicked again, and she began to rub it.

"Hush now, little one. Mommy needs to think for a minute. I need to find where your Daddy is, and your Uncle TK." She cooed to her stomach. A noise bristled in the distance, and Meiko stopped her rubbing. She looked up quickly, turning her head towards a door's lock that swiveled, and then lurched down to open.

"Greeting: It is a pleasure to see you alive, Master, provided my receptors are not off focus. How may I be of assistance?"

'_I've got a bad feeling about this' _Meiko thought to herself as she stood up.

* * *

TK felt the cold of the floor panels sting at his face. His eyes shot open, taking in his surroundings. He saw the Ebon Hawk, landing gear extended and ramp outstretched. There looked to be no structural damage to the ship at all. It's as if the battle in space didn't even happen. He pulled himself up, adjusting his beige tunic and tabards. He felt his double-bladed lightsaber at his belt, then began to look around once again. He was in a facility of some kind, inside an asteroid, that much was certain. "Well, yet another slice of galactic paradise." He commented out loud. He heard a noise rustle behind boxes that were next to him. He readied himself, gripping his weapon in his left hand while rummaging the boxes with his right. He saw what looked like Kari move behind them. "Kari?"

Kari rumbled behind the boxes. "TK? Is that you?" She saw his hand extend and grabbed without a second thought. "TK! I thought we were dead! What happened?" She asked frantically.

TK shook his head. "I'm not sure. The ship looks brand new, and I don't even know where we are." He sat down on one of the boxes, trying to reach out with the Force to sense his friends. His efforts became in vain. "I can't even sense anyone with the Force."

Kari straightened out her back, flicking dust off her brother's blue tunic that she had decided to wear in honor of his sacrifice. "Something must be going on. We're not droids, no one can really jam our connection to the Force." She said as she sat down next to TK, taking his hand in hers. She smiled at him, the love between the two of them still growing from their time on Dantooine, Alderaan, and then the Star Forge. "I wonder where everyone is…" She looked around hangar they were located in. "What is this place?"

TK turned his head, looking over his shoulder to up near the rafters. He noticed what looked like a control center near the center of the hangar. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll find our answers in there." He got up and began walking towards a security door. He tried using the Force to open it, only to no avail. "What the?" He tried once more, same result. "This isn't right. It's like I can't even use the Force right now.

Kari sped over towards TK, extending her hand. "Let me try." She performed the motion; however, the result was the same as when TK did. "Okay… well went 'The' Force can't do it, 'Brute' force is always a viable option." She poked TK in his rib, hoping he would get the underlying joke in her words.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Nothing… you need a sense of humor. You've been hanging out with Matt too long." She said as she activated her blue blade and pierced the center of the door.

TK stood there, thinking about what she said. The joke that she had previously said finally made sense to him. "Oh, I get it!"

"Idiot"


	5. Questions without Answers

**Chapter 4 – Questions without Answers**

_Awaken_

Yolei awoke in the Kolto tank. Her body began to thrash around, feeling the fluid rub against her skin. The fluid drained away as her body was lowered to the ground, her face plastered against the glass. The tank walls lowered and Yolei fell face first towards the cold ground. Security panels and information screens lit around her, the room being filled with the noise of calculations as she struggled to get up. Flicking her violet hair out of her face, she looked around her medical prison to find the four others that shared the Kolto tanks with her were long dead. Red lights shown below their bodies indicating their deceased status.

'_What could have happened to them?' _She turned towards the only exit and walked forward. The door resembled a tumble lock as it cycled through the available options before opening before her. She found a hallway that had one door that looked busted in front of her while one door flanked her on both sides. She tried to open the one to her right, only to find it was locked.

"Oh come on now." She said aloud, trying to use the Force to disable the lock.

The lock stayed put, not giving way. The Force seemed to be absent from the young Padawan, and her only option was to go to her left. She opened the door and found a computer console in the room with a workbench. She steadied her eyes, putting her hands to her head as she began to feel lightheaded. She staggered to the console, breathing heavily against the metal that kept her from falling back to the ground. She typed away at the console, hoping to find some answers as to what happened to her and the rest of her crew. Looking up logs presented, she noted the timeline for each stretched out from 4 days to one written today. She loaded up the one from 4 days. The hologram displayed before her as a miner who looked to be the medical officer. Her dark uniform overshadowed by the blue hue of the holographic message.

"Today we received the most unusual thing: A ship. Goes by the name of the Ebon Hawk apparently. Last time I heard anything like that was from the Jedi Civil War." The hologram shook her head. "Well, this ship had been battered and bruised. A whole chunk from what looked like the garage was missing from its hull and the structure had been torn apart from what looks like a battle. We looked around the entire ship, only finding one survivor. We placed her in a Kolto tank to heal her wounds. Unfortunately, all the others were dead. We plan to give them proper funerals soon."

The hologram signed off, disappearing from Yolei's sight. She was still lightheaded but heard enough for thoughts and emotions to fill her mind. She slammed her first against the console. Her friends couldn't be dead. No! She would not believe this. The Force worked in mysterious ways and unless she saw the bodies of her friends, she wouldn't believe they were dead. She struggled to click another log to see what data it had to report. This one was from the previous day. The same hologram appeared before her.

"We just had reports of a droid malfunction where a miner was drilled by a droid's mining laser, and now we have just had another accident where miners aren't reporting to their shifts that we need to fill. If this keeps up, we'll definitely not be able to make the Telos shipment for this month. Word on the survivor is that she could be a Jedi. We won't know for sure until we hear back from the Republic. The strange thing is, I thought the Jedi had disappeared, or were extinct. I'm surprised to see one here on this corner of the Galaxy." The hologram signed off, disappearing from Yolei's view.

'_Something is happening to the Jedi. The numbers we had were low sure, but this… this is unreal.' _She flicked another record to activate, recorded today it looked like.

"-miners about the Jedi. A number of droids have been acting oddly lately, not even memory wipes seem to be fixing the issues. I can't help but think something else may have been on that ship that we recovered four days ago."

The log shorted out a bit from a static discharge that affected the power systems in Yolei's room. The lights began to flicker, and the area became darker as a result. Combined with the fatigue she felt from the Kolto tank, fear began to set in the young Jedi. The log resumed its message.

"There was a detonation in one of the fuel ducts in the mining tunnels, one of the miners said a droid had caused the accident, so it was sent to maintenance. The miners caught in the explosion were sent to medical and placed in Kolto tanks to recover. The rest had to go to the morgue." The hologram wiped a tear from her eye, as if for an old friend. "Fortunately, the detonation didn't cause a lockdown."

The announcement overheard was from the recording, but Yolei still looked around as if the announcement was still current. "Warning, there has been a fuel detonation in the mining tunnels. Lockdown measures are being enacted to prevent further system compromises and to contain the explosion. All personnel report to quarters and prepare for emergency system countermeasures."

The hologram became frantic at the announcement. "No! If there's a fuel leak then we have to- Evacuate the medical bay! Everyone evacuate!" The hologram disappeared and Yolei was left with more questions.

'_What happened here? What caused this supposed explosion?' _She searched more in the console, regaining some of her strength as she typed away. '_What happened to my connection to the Force?' _She searched up patient info in the Kolto tanks, finding that all but patient 3 had been reported deceased. She assumed that patient 3 must have been her, given the situation she found herself in. She continued to search the treatment that they had received to find that sedatives had been administered to all of the tanks, including 3.

'_What?! Could this be what's hampering my connection?' _She tried to trace who administered the treatment, only to no avail. The records had been erased, and all Yolei could do would be to look through the regular functions of the console. For reasons unknown to her, she selected the option to open the morgue, feeling it called to her. She typed the commands and watched the door open before her. She stepped away from the console and walked towards the morgue, finding only two bodies present. One dressed similarly to a Jedi with a brown robe and hood covering her eyes. Whoever this woman was, she had seen years fly by, her hair had grayed far beyond the years of normal humans. There was no sign of how she died or what had killed her. She continued on, looking over the corpse that had a sheet overlaying the body.

'_While it is grave robbing… I don't really have a choice.' _She thought to herself as she dug through the corpse. Pulling out a plasma torch, she had a sign of relief, for the broken door before her could now open. She turned to see the dead woman start to rise. At first it was slow, then she picked herself up and staggered to her feet, pulling her hood below her eyes. Yolei stood and watched the dead woman walk towards her.

"Find what you're looking for amongst the dead?" the woman asked, her tone raspy.

"I thought you were dead."

"Close to death, yes. Closer than I'd like." The woman stared at Yolei, her nose twitching the with the scent she was picking up. "You have the smell of the Kolto tank about you. How do you feel?"

Yolei felt the weight of a thousand men press her down as the deliriousness returned tenfold. The Kolto tank had definitely left her drained, or was it the sedatives? She didn't know, nor cared. She just wanted to find her friends. "I'm the one asking the questions here. How did you get here? How are you able to rise from the apparent death you had?!" She stepped back, waving the plasma torch at the old woman.

The old woman sighed. "I confess I know just as much you, child. If you were to treat me as a source of terror rather than relief, I can assure you both of our existences will be snuffed just as quickly as your awakening."

"Wait, what do you mean awakening? Was it your voice I heard in the Kolto tank?"

"Yes, I had hoped as much – I slept here too long and could not awaken. It may be I reached out unconsciously, and your mind must have been a willing one. Or perhaps you have been trained for such things?" She paused, waiting for Yolei to respond.

"So, you can touch minds and feign death…" Yolei remembered Meiko's teachings weren't adopted by the Jedi Order, or widespread amongst the Galaxy. _'Could this woman be her master? Wait, she never had one… oh these damn sedatives…' _She gripped her head, pushing out the unpleasant thoughts. "Who are you?"

The old woman smiled, raising her hand towards Yolei's head. "Here, this will help." The hand glowed white as it ripped away the pain Yolei felt in her head. "I am Kreia, and I am your rescuer, as you are mine. Tell me, do you recall how you came to be here?"

Yolei crossed her arms, still holding the plasma torch in her right hand. "Last thing I remember I was aboard my ship, the Ebon Hawk. We were…" She stopped herself, not wanting to reveal too much of what previously happened. "We were passing through before we were hit by an asteroid in this system."

Kreia chuckled at Yolei, bringing her hand up to her lips to contain the laugh. "Child, there is no need to lie to me. We are in this together, you and I. What threatens one of us here, threatens all of us." She spoke in a monotone voice, never raising her pitch at a hint of anger or displeasure with Yolei's actions.

"Be that as it may, I still reserve some information for myself until the time is right." Yolei said, unfolding her arms. "How did you wind up here?"

"The story is a long one, and time is not on the side of ours. The ship you arrived in must still be in this place. We need to recover it and leave." Kreia said, sitting down on one of the beds the morgue provided. She adjusted her hood to remain over her eyes as she looked up to Yolei. "We were both attacked once. I doubt the attackers will give up so easily, and without transport, weapons and information, they will find us easy prey indeed."

Yolei shivered at the thought of being followed by some sect of Sith. These new Sith were of a different design than of Malak, of that she was sure. Something about them seemed primal and hungry, and if it affected Ken as much as it had before, who knows how the rest of the group could be. That is, if they were still alive. "You seem uneasy, Kreia. Is this threat bothering you that much?"

"Even as I slept, I felt much unrest here. People going on their daily lives while their minds felt the sting of fear. Now, everything feels terribly silent. I would find out much about this place as you can. I fear will need to depart more quickly than we had originally intended." Kreia shifted in her bed, feeling the Force flow through the walls and rock faces of the facility. It made Yolei uneasy.

"Question, if I may Kreia."

"Ask, and I will answer."

"The patients here in the med bay were treated with sedatives, do you know why?"

Kreia pondered the question that Yolei asked. "I do not know… why would they spare you?"

"They didn't. I received the same dose but survived." Yolei slapped her thigh, realizing she revealed more information than she intended.

Kreia raised her eyebrow, understanding the mishap. "Indeed, a Jedi trance could protect one from such poisons. In fact, the sedatives could have been intended to keep you unconscious for some time." She stood up and crouched on the ground, assuming a meditative stance.

Yolei took this as the conversation was nearing its end. She tightened her hand over the plasma torch. "I'll have a look around, and I'll come back to give information I find."

Kreia looked up at Yolei, memorizing the detail the girl presented to her. "You may wish to extend your search for some clothes, if only for proper first impressions." She lowered her head and resumed her meditation.

Yolei's cheeks grew red, realizing she was only wearing a one-piece underwear suit. "Will do…" She walked out of the morgue, leaving Kreia behind to continue her search of the facility. Approaching the busted door, Yolei jabbed her plasma torch into the lock and forced the door open. As the door opened, an announcement was heard over the loudspeakers.

_Emergency Lockdown overridden_

'_Wonder what that's about…' _Yolei continued on to see broken droids and human corpses decorating the next room. She shivered, pulling her hands up to her arms to conserve warmth as the fumes of the dead humans and broken droids permeated her nostrils. She looked over the droids and began digging in the rusted innards to pull out a mining laser. The weapon looked similar to a Republic standard issue blaster pistol, only for the laser to not have as much effect in harming humans. _'Or so the miners thought.' _

Adjusting the laser to be lethal against droids, Yolei also found a Vibrocutter. A small cutter used to mine away rocks, it functioned as a makeshift sword against slow moving targets. "I wish I had a belt, way too much equipment for just two hands." She walked towards her left, her shoes pattering against the metal floor. Opening a door, she readied her blade and pistol as mining droids charged at her. She began firing her laser against the spider-like droids, waving her sword to try and deflect the lasers they fired. Yolei realized her mistake as the lasers hit her arm. _'Damnit… I'm so used to a lightsaber.' _She ran forward to the first droid, slicing her sword against the central processing unit and destroying it before firing a laser to the far droid on her right. Oil sprayed out against her face with sweat starting to drip off her face.

"Still got it…" Yolei said as she started walking forward down the hallway. Opening another door, she looked to her left and found what looked like a turbolift door. "Maybe this door will be a way out of here." She tried to force it open by jabbing her sword in the lock. "Damn! Magnetically sealed."

_This is the exit… but it is sealed. Strange. In my visions it was open._

Yolei looked up, hearing the voice in her head. "Kreia? Is that you?"

The only thing that she heard was silence. Deciding to move on, Yolei continued her journey forward, entering the security office. Finding the desk had stored logs from the security officer stationed on the facility, she took time to look over the logs. Most of them consisted of the usual briefings to command, weapons policy, and how to act aboard the facility. What caught her eye was the one where the security officer chewed out the maintenance officer. Hovering over the log, she selected it and holograms appeared before her, mimicking the security and maintenance officer respectively. "Well, this may get me some answers."

The holograms began to speak. "So, you're in maintenance, then maybe you can tell me what's going on with these droids." The security officer was apparently angry with the maintenance officer, for reasons Yolei did not understand.

"Sir, I don't know, it's like their behavior cores are undergoing binary decay. But I can't find the source. This shouldn't be happening."

"Well that's reassuring, it isn't happening. So the next time we nearly have a breach in the ventilation tunnel I can just close my eyes and pretend it's my imagination!"

Yolei started to snicker at the security officer's explosion of apparent anger.

"You better give me some answers! I wanna know the damage these droids can do if they start mining us instead of asteroid rock!"

Yolei felt her arm, knowing full well of the damage the droids can do to humans. "Fool… it's what ended your life."

The maintenance officer began to chime in. "Sir, these droids aren't combat models, their mining lasers are weaker and less accurate than blasters. I doubt those droids could even hit one of us."

"Are you blind?! What about the miners in medbay! It's sabotage, and it started right after the commander said we weren't going to have funerals for the dead Jedi or sell the living one to the Exchange!"

Yolei felt her heart skip a beat. There it was again, her friends supposedly being dead. She knew for a fact that they weren't. But it still made her question what happened before. "I know they aren't dead. I know I'm not alone…"

The security officer continued his rant against the maintenance officer. "So, I want you to find out how these droids are being sabotaged. That'll tell me who's trying to clear a path to get that damn Jedi off the facility and stop him. In the meantime, make sure security is armed with all the sonic and ion charges you can find. If those droids start coming after me, I'm gonna need something more powerful than a low-grade mining laser to take them down. Clear?"

"Yes sir, maintenance control out."

"Idiot"

The log ended and the holograms disappeared. Yolei now felt more alone than ever. The friends she had known were said to be dead, and not even the personnel of the facility likely survived whatever explosion happened. "No… somebody please be here… I don't want to be alone again…" Her mind flashed to Malachor V, becoming a slave to Mandalorians before escaping to the Jedi. She started to tear up, knowing full well that she was indeed alone in the Galaxy.

_Calm yourself, child. _

Yolei heard the voice again. "Kreia?"

_Be careful, there is much energy in the room beyond, yet it stems from nothing that lives._

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She started getting frustrated again, reminiscent of her talk with Ken and Mimi.

_Can you not sense them? Reach out, cast aside your sight. Cast aside what you see and instead, reach out with your perceptions. _

Yolei thought it was a fruitless effort, her not feeling the Force. But she did as instructed, as any Padawan would do. She felt the small amount of life energy in the following room stem from the corpses that were present. She could see the droids in the room as well, standing over their victims as pompous victors. If droids could feel, they would probably feel pride for executing their base programming. Yolei would show them otherwise.

_Ah you can feel them. The droids you cannot perceive on their own, but the small oscillations of energy, that is what you feel._

Yolei felt a renewed sense of vigor, opening the door and gunning down the first droid that crossed her path. She jabbed her sword against the frame of a droid on her right while jumping up in the air and instinctively sent out a small amount of lightning from her fingers towards the last droid in the room. The smoke from the electrified remains filled the room, as Yolei panted for breath, holding her laser and sword in quivering hands. "What's happening to me?!"

_Ah, it is faint, but it is there. It hasn't been so long for you as to forget what it felt like._

Yolei knew what Kreia meant. The Force was returning to her, and the sedatives that had incapacitated her began to wear off. "I feel it. The Force is coming back, and I will be its master. The sedatives no longer have a hold on me!" She tightened her grip around her mining laser, knowing full well what she would do to anyone who would threaten her. _'I'm not alone. Kreia has made sure of that. Even if my friends are dead, at least I have someone to look up to.' _She stopped before continuing on, surveying the carnage she left behind. _'Someone to call… mother.'_


End file.
